How two friends finished a "drunk marathon" around Columbus
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Ryan Polter and Tyler Brown after their marathon walk around Columbus; the journey crosses through the Arena District. Photos: Courtesy of Ryan Polter
OSU senior Ryan Polter and his roommate, Tyler Brown, were home after a Saturday night out when a challenge arose: Who could walk the farthest?
Why it matters: We've written of other unusual endurance tests, but this one caught our attention — and Reddit's.
State of play: Fueled only by alcohol and cookies, the buzzed pair stepped off from Tuttle Park at 1:30am clad in jeans and sweatshirts.
- They headed south and made laps around downtown. Around 10 miles in, they committed to a full marathon.
That's 26.2 miles, about the distance a Greek messenger once ran to announce the victory at the Battle of Marathon before dropping dead of exhaustion.
Between the lines: Polter and Brown hit a wall near the halfway point at Berliner Park — neither had any experience with this distance level.
- The novice runners log only a few miles a week, and Polter can remember finishing only a single 5K back in high school.
Threat level: Then came hours of pouring rain.
- They took refuge around mile 16 by walking back and forth under a bridge, then stopped at a convenience store for ponchos and protein bars.
- Taking the Olentangy Trail back north, they suffered through the last few miles by occasionally walking backwards to take the pressure off their toes. (Brown, regrettably, made the trip wearing Converse.)
Over 8 hours and 54,338 steps later, they returned home feeling more drained than triumphant.
- They somehow completed the entire trip without water or anything else to drink.
- Oh, to be young and indestructible.
The intrigue: Polter shared his "drunk marathon" story that night on Reddit and woke up to find it went viral, with a mix of reactions, including congratulations, confusion and deep concerns over his health.
- It's his most widely shared post since the one about having a 12-foot Wendy's sign in his backyard.
What they're saying: "We do a lot of stuff like this," the finance major told Axios.
- Could he recall any other PG examples? "Uhhh…," he replied, his voice trailing off.
Reality check: Doctors very much discourage moving this many miles without proper fuel, good running shoes and a training plan.
The last word: Polter said he's only dealing with severe soreness, but suggested others avoid trying the stunt.
- "I don't think we'll ever attempt this again."